But Chubby had nothing to laugh at

COMEDIAN Chubby Brown had a horse running at Musselburgh at the weekend but nobody was laughing louder than Charlie "Matches" McKinlay, ever the man about town, speculating and agitating. He'd just won £17 million on the Lottery.

He'd told me "in confidence" and you never know when to believe him or not. "Right Charlie, slip me a million." We were guests of Scotbet, sponsors of three of the seven races in what was the seaside course's richest ever meeting. Accordingly, the humour was rich.

Scotbet boss Kenny Waugh junior couldn't host the lunch and apologised profusely. He was at a wedding. Neither could Chubby Brown and he wouldn't be smiling. His horse, Rasaman, was nowhere.

Charlie, when your number does come up, don't forget, that million would get us a couple of new faces at Easter Road.

Taxi for MacLaren
"People Need To Change The Way They Eat," blazed the headline in a Sunday paper. Sure. But first they must learn how to use their cutlery.

Wheeler dealer Marilyne MacLaren nearly made a headline herself, topping the list for cab fares in the last disclosure of expenses claims by Edinburgh's city councillors. The clarion call among politicians in the Capital used to be "taxi for McLeish!" Now it has to be "taxi for MacLaren!"

I'll be on the telly
No joy. The bad news if you're a Stanley Baxter fan, he tells me he won't make Edinburgh over the festive season, nor into the Burns festival. "I'll be too busy here in London. But you can tell the folks if they're desperate they can see me on Christmas Night at ten on ITV with some new material, some old."

The Glasshouse at Eskmills, Musselburgh, desperately wanted to bring Stanley up for their Burns Night.

Afterwords . .
. . . Dawn French dreaming: "I didn't want to write a book that clearly sidesteps everything that's happened to me. I don't expect people to pay for what I say is about me, then it isn't . . . anybody who gets to 50 has had sadness, betrayals – and, yes, has been heartbroken. I don't think my dreams are any different from anybody else's." Aye, Dawn, but what about the nightmares?